Reviews | Written by Ed Fortune 09/04/2013

Book Review: STEAMPUNK MODELLER 2

Steampunk gets a lot of criticism for its sense of style; there is an opinion amongst some that you can spray any old junk with copper-coloured paint, glue on some cogs and declare that is captures the essence of an optimistic and fanciful reimagining of the Victorian age. But then people talk a lot of rot about Steampunk, typically because it looks like people are having fun and we can’t have that.

Steampunk Modeller 2 is a book filled with the results of people having fun. This is not a book about costumes; the models in this slim volume are of the sort you find in an Airfix plastic kit, or in some cases, actual props that you can wave around. This is not a ‘how to’ guide, you won’t learn how to paint small things or sculpt fine detail in here. What you will get, though, is plenty of inspiration for your own project; it’s crammed with great ideas and is lavish with pictures.

The ideas are very diverse; from a Victorian reimagining of the Doctor Who companion K9 to a diorama showing a giant mechanical worm attacking a rural village. Until I saw this book, I never thought I’d want a steampunk tricorder or a collection of clockwork weeping angels, but now I do. The photography is very well done, and though this is not a coffee table book (it’s a paperback), many of the pictures are very pretty and large and clear enough to be used as references by creators.

This book isn’t for everyone, and it suffers from being assembled from multiple contributions; some of the articles are clear, concise and well formatted, whereas others are a little messier than that. However they all deliver good ideas in an interesting way and it can be used by any hobbyist looking to evoke the spirit of Jules Verne with their creations.